Chapter 339

She tilted her head and looked outside the door, a little confused, "What's wrong?"

"You've been in the bath for so long. To prevent any accidents, I came to check if you need my help."

The Young Miss Nun outside the door answered seriously.

She was worried that Her Highness, the Saintess, might be too tired from the recent events and had fallen asleep in the bath, which would be bad. Although for Her Highness, the Saintess, who was blessed by the Goddess, staying in the bath for a long time wouldn't be like a Mortal, it would still be uncomfortable.

"No need, I'll be out in a moment."

Saintess Weier knew the other party couldn't see, but she still shook her head, her voice slightly louder, losing its previous tenderness and becoming proper.

"Alright, then I'll wait outside. If you need anything, please just give an order."

The voice of the Young Miss Nun came again.

Saintess Weier rubbed her temples, a hint of distress appearing on her delicate and beautiful face. She put away her dazed and vacant expression, stood up from the bath, passed through layers of mist, went to a small room nearby, dried herself, changed into a long dress, and by the time she walked out of the bath, she had regained her saintly appearance.

Outside the door, the Young Miss Nun had been waiting. Seeing Saintess Weier emerge, she let out a slight sigh of relief. After all, Saintess Weier had indeed spent an unusually long time bathing this time, and she had been afraid that something might have happened to her Saintess.

"Your Highness, the Saintess, are you troubled by something? Is it because you're worried about the situation on the front lines?"

The Young Miss Nun noticed Saintess Weier's slight frown and couldn't help but ask.

In the Saintess Convent, although there was a clear hierarchy between the Saintesses and Nuns, their actual interactions were quite casual, feeling like sisters and family. Thus, she dared to ask Saintess Weier this, unlike in other factions where everyone was constantly scheming against each other.

"Nothing…"

Saintess Weier gently shook her head, looking at the Young Miss Nun's worried gaze. The words she wanted to say were swallowed back. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded softly, "After all, that is a Demon God. Even with the help of that God King, we still need to treat it with seriousness…"

She didn't mention the matter of the [Sacrificed Ones]. Only the Saintesses knew about this; the Nuns were unaware. This was to protect the reputation of the Saintess Convent and the piety of the Goddess's faith. Using one's sisters as offerings to save one's own life was undoubtedly against the regulations and unacceptable to others.

Of course, after the sacrificed Saintess sister departed, they would not forget her sacrifice, proclaim her contributions, and bestow upon her the title of Saint… It's just that the reason might be written as—during the battle against the Demon God and the Demon King Army, to protect others and uphold the faith, she resolutely, like a moth drawn to a flame, perished together with the Demon God.

"Indeed."

The Young Miss Nun nodded, her expression serious, "But you must also take care of your health. If you fall ill and are bedridden before the news of victory from the front line arrives, that would be bad."

"…I will."

Saintess Weier smiled and nodded, seemingly having returned to her original pure and lovely Virgo Palace Saintess self.

"That's good. That God King is willing to help us, truly a Righteous God!"

The Young Miss Nun praised sincerely.

Because the common language in the Shengan Domain was different from that in the East, there was no need to worry that "Righteous God" would be misheard as "Evil God"; these were two distinct phrases.

In the Scripture of Life, there are words like, "Because the Goddess watches over the path of the righteous, but the path of the wicked will perish." Therefore, one of the highest honors for a person is "Righteous One," and the Young Miss Nun slightly modified it here to refer to His Majesty, the God King.

Her tone carried a hint of playfulness. Although inappropriate, it could be seen as a joke. After all, a "Righteous One" refers to someone who follows the Goddess's teachings and devoutly believes, so Saintess Weier didn't say much.

"Alright, you should go rest too. No need to follow me."

Saintess Weier walked for a while, accompanied by the Young Miss Nun. As they neared her bedroom, she shook her head at the Young Miss Nun, signaling her to go rest early as well.

The Young Miss Nun nodded, "Your Highness, the Saintess, you also get some rest early. Please don't overwork yourself."

Although Saintess Weier had heard such words many times, from both her Nun sisters and Saintess sisters, as the Virgo Palace Saintess, she could perceive the true emotions of others. Therefore, every time she heard such sincere and earnest words, her heart would warm slightly.

"I will, you too."

Saintess Weier nodded and stood still, watching the Young Miss Nun walk away until she turned a corner and headed in another direction, disappearing from sight. Only then did she finally withdraw her gaze and head towards her own room.

A short while later, Saintess Weier pushed open the door to her room. Only at this moment, in this room with no one else, did she finally relax.

The holy smile on her face faded, replaced by a melancholic expression. Her proper posture also became listless, making it almost unbelievable that she was the Virgo Palace Saintess who had always presented herself as pure and lovely.

"Sigh…"

Saintess Weier let out a faint sigh. Her troubles were not about the front line, or rather, they were, but not the main ones. Even having to choose a [Sacrificed One] was not particularly troubling to her.

Several Saintess meetings had been held before, and through the Gemini Palace Nun sisters' relay, the thoughts of all the Saintesses had basically been clearly expressed. Whenever one person volunteered, the others would object… Didn't that just leave no further discussion?

At first, when facing this matter, she was somewhat uneasy and flustered, but now, she no longer felt that way… Anyway, no one could be chosen.

However, there was one matter that she now had to face and could not ignore.

Saintess Weier's gaze swept across the room. She gently shook her head. To prevent herself from breaking the precepts again due to a surge of emotion, she had already handed those items to Sister Geni and the others for safekeeping during today's "Saintess Study Session."

Saintess Weier sat at the table, picked up the Scripture of Life, and began her daily essential study. But unexpectedly, she couldn't focus even a bit. Her usual concentration was completely gone, leaving only random thoughts.

Her mind would jump from one thing to another, sometimes thinking of the Nun sisters on the front line, remembering the descriptions of the Demon King and the Demon King Army in the returned messages, and sometimes thinking of the nobles and commoners in the rear, as well as those devout but extremely poor commoners.

Of course, indispensably, she thought of His Majesty, the God King. Although she had never truly met him face to face, the Scripture of Floating Island possessed immense power. Just by looking at the words, she could envision a young man.

She didn't know if that person was truly the God King, but her subconscious told her that it was His Majesty, the God King.

And what was difficult to articulate was that she had developed some unspeakable thoughts about this God King of her own imagination… She knew it was wrong, and she also knew this was corruption, an attempt to make her abandon her current faith in the gods and turn to him.

But… how could a Mortal resist a god? Right?

Not long ago, Saintess Weier finally failed once. Although it was only a slight touch, guided by instinct, thinking of that God King, she had touched herself, not even touching any forbidden places, but it was enough to make her anxious and uneasy all day long.

She had become impure—this was where her trouble lay, and she dared not tell anyone else.

"I'm sorry…"

Saintess Weier looked blankly at the words on the Scripture, muttering softly, not knowing if she was speaking to herself, to her trusting Saintess sisters, or… to the Young Miss Nun who cared for her.

As the Virgo Palace Saintess, she had to maintain absolute purity to use her power to help others. But now… in just this short time, not even a fraction of the study time of Sister Geni and Sister Libolila, she was already close to raising a white flag and surrendering…

Could she truly sit in this position and become the Virgo Palace Saintess?

Saintess Weier doubted this, after all, she was truly too weak!

Thinking these thoughts, Saintess Weier gently patted her pretty face, trying to gather some spirit. With this bit of guilt and pain, she finally managed to complete her studies for the day.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Closing the Saintess Scripture, Saintess Weier became somewhat lost in thought again; the divine words and true teachings she had just read were completely forgotten.

"What should I do…"

Saintess Weier muttered to herself. She didn't bother to pray, simply lying down in her bed, thinking that if she just fell asleep, she wouldn't have to think about it anymore, right?

That was how she had always done it. Whenever she had something troubling during the day, sleeping at night meant she didn't have to dwell on it anymore.

But… today seemed a little different.

Is this… a dream?

Not long after the golden-haired Saintess closed her eyes, she arrived here. It was an ancient palace she had never seen before; this style was not something that should exist in the Shengan Domain, but rather… like something from the Qiongming Domain?

The young girl wandered aimlessly through the palace complex. Before long, she heard the sounds of laughing and playful banter. She didn't know what she was thinking, but without a second thought, she headed in that direction.

And so, she saw her own fantasy manifested right before her eyes…

How could this be… Saintess Weier's mouth hung open as she stared blankly at the many beautiful women she had never seen before. In their midst was… that God King?

This looks like a carriage running over…

This, this, this… her toes aren't even touching the ground…

Gulp, just kill me, please? What does this mean?

Huh? How strange?

Saintess Weier stood at the entrance, watching silently. She dared not approach, nor did she dare to leave. Her feet felt as if they were nailed to the floor, yet her body had unexpectedly gone limp.

She remembered—wasn't this the content of the book she had been studying during the day?! Saintess Weier subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Is this what they call "what you think about by day, you dream of by night"?

Suddenly, she woke up with a start—

The night was thick, yet she subconsciously touched herself beneath the covers…

How could she still be acting like a little child!

Chapter 452: Shadow of the Blood God, Descent of the Immortal King.

Lin Yi had stayed in Jinling City for five days. Originally, he had only intended to stay for two or three days before leaving, but on the third day, there was new news about the Mystic Spirit Python from Snow Moon City near Jinling City, stating that another clue had been found, and the timing was close, just a few months ago.

An imperial decree also arrived from the Imperial Capital, ordering Division Head Xu Zhengfeng to enter the capital immediately. Judging by Xuanyuan Mingzhu's intentions, she likely wanted to promote this sister's father a few ranks to see what his capabilities were. If his ability was insufficient, she would find him a leisurely position so he could cultivate in peace; if his ability was passable, she would let him handle real matters, which could be considered putting talent to use.

Lin Yi simply lent a hand and sent him to the Imperial Capital to save him the trouble of traveling. If the Blood God's true body were truly found, it would certainly be dangerous here. Even with his Sword Intent, what if something happened? What if he died here?

As for Aunt and Xu Ruanyao, the two of them would naturally enter the Creation Realm. They had also met with Pei Yuhan and the others over the past two days. Aunt got along well with Zither Fairy Gu Xueyuan and the others, but Xu Ruanyao was still a bit timid and couldn't open up.

Lin Yi did not interfere. There was plenty of time; no matter how introverted one was, after hundreds or thousands of years, they wouldn't be able to stay introverted.

…

Lin Yi walked through the dense forest. Trees and flowers brushed against his body, yet they passed right through him as if he were not of this world, and the Yao Beasts, insects, and birds around him ignored his presence.

He walked and stopped intermittently, like a Young Master on an outing. However, those Mortal noble Young Masters did not possess the ethereal Immortal Qi that he had. This quality of being untainted by the Mortal World made him exceptionally harmonious with his surroundings; an Immortal in the forest, nothing more and nothing less.

According to the traces found over the past few days by the Shenxing Division of the surrounding small cities, that Mystic Spirit Python seemed to be hiding deep in this forest. It did not hunt Mortals itself, but drove other Yao Beasts to help it hunt; among them, the Sword Wolf packs were the most common.

Lin Yi traveled through the forest, and before long, he stepped into the central area of the dense forest—it was a spirit lake, crystal clear, with faint mist swirling above the surface, which was atomized spirit power.

And in the lake, a dark figure, like a snake and a dragon, was swimming about, churning the lake water. It was none other than the Mystic Spirit Python.

Lin Yi walked to the edge of the lake and just watched the giant python devouring large amounts of spirit power without disturbing it. As time ticked by, the giant python broke through the surface of the lake, truly like a dragon, and stood tall before Lin Yi, a pair of snake eyes staring coldly at him.

Other Yao Beasts could not see his true form, but it could. It had been waiting here for him to come.

"Hiss, hiss~ I didn't expect that in this era, there would still be a true Dao Harmonizer in the Human Realm."

The snake's voice was hoarse. The Blood God's will had descended, occupying this Yao body. This Yao snake was merely at the Soul Transformation stage; in front of Lin Yi, it was no different from an ant.

"You sensed that I was looking for you. Why did you come out?"

Lin Yi asked.

Indeed, it was the Blood God itself that revealed its own tracks. The Dao it cultivated was truly infinitely profound, transforming into ten thousand. Searching for one of it among the ten thousand was very difficult, and its methods of hiding itself were also very wondrous. If it hadn't taken the initiative to reveal its tracks, Lin Yi would not have been able to discover it.

"Heh heh—I had already left long ago; I just wanted to see who exactly was looking for me."

The Blood God's tone carried a hint of arrogance. "Your actions were too grand, actually wanting to drive all the Cultivators in the world to find me… How do you know that I am not among them? I have long since become one with all of you, heh heh—"

"So that's how it is."

Lin Yi nodded. The Elders and Sect Masters he had informed about the Blood God matter certainly did not contain any Blood God Children, nor had they been corrupted by the Blood God to become part of the Blood Shadow Clan. But what about afterwards?

The Blood God could easily learn about this matter from them through indirect questioning. It didn't need to know everything, just understand that someone was looking for it. Secondly… his movements in Jinling City were too big.

Xuanyuan Mingzhu supported him without hesitation, exposing his actions to the eyes of many. The entire upper echelon of the Northern Territory at least understood that this Xuanyuan Empress was searching for something in this Northern Territory, right near Jinling City, related to the Mystic Spirit Python…

After that… the Blood God, hiding in the shadows, probably started to act. It moved its true body, leaving behind only this shell here, waiting to mock him.

As for fighting head-on? It wasn't that stupid. One Lin Yi might not amount to much, but didn't he have people behind him? If the Xuanyuan Imperial Family took action against it, did that mean those Immortal Kings and Devil Kings were about to take action against it?

Regardless of that for now—perhaps it was overthinking—but could it really defeat the Sword Dao Harmonizer before it?

It was very cautious, and it was precisely because it was cautious that it could survive until now, unlike Immortal Emperor Qiming, who died right on her imperial throne.

It was adept at escaping. As long as one Blood God Child remained, it would not die. It still had a chance to make a comeback. If this ten thousand years didn't work, then the next ten thousand years; eventually, within the endless years, it would succeed!

Lin Yi's Divine Sense saw it… the entire Human Realm began to riot. This was a declaration by the Blood God before it left. It would not willingly accept its plans being shattered; even if it failed, it would make Lin Yi pay the price.

… Qingjing Mountain Sword Pavilion.

"Hmm?" The Sword Pavilion Master frowned slightly and exchanged a glance with his wife beside him. They both walked out of the Sword Tomb and stood on the clouds. As they swept their gaze downward, they saw that the entire Qingjing Mountain Sword Pavilion had fallen into chaos.

"Senior Brother?! Senior Brother has gone mad!!" A Disciple said, his face full of terror.

"Elder, Elder!! Hurry and stop Senior Brother!! Urgh, Elder, Elder, you…" A Disciple lost his life under the sword.

"How could this be…" A figure in green, expressionless, held a sword in hand and casually slashed at the neck of a Disciple in front of him who had already lost an arm.

The Pavilion Master's expression changed slightly. He flashed downward, flicked his finger to pinch Su Qingshan's sword, and with a casual wave, suppressed the Elder nearby who was full of madness. "Qingshan! What are you doing?!"

The Pavilion Master's question did not bring the already possessed Su Qingshan back to his senses. He merely raised his head and looked at the Pavilion Master eerily, then his body went limp and collapsed, while a wisp of blood-red color flew toward the Pavilion Master's brow.

The Pavilion Master was shocked, but before he could dodge, he saw the blood-red color surround him. He sighed in his heart, "My life is at an end!"

"Senior Brother!!" His wife's cry came from not far away, and he could only offer a bitter smile.

"Senior Brother? What are you doing?! Why don't you hurry and come help?!" A rebuke came from afar.